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Millipedes are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name being derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a result of two single segments fused together. Most millipedes have very elongated cylindrical or flattened bodies with more than 20 segments, while pill millipedes are shorter and can roll into a ball. Although the name "millipede" derives from the Latin for "thousand feet", no known species has 1,000; the record of 750 legs belongs to Illacme plenipes. There are approximately 12,000 named species classified into 16 orders and around 140 families, making Diplopoda the largest class of myriapods, an arthropod group which also includes centipedes and other multi-legged creatures.
KarlWilhelm Verhoeff was a German myriapodologist and entomologist, specialising in myriapods as well as woodlice and to a lesser extent insects.
Mammamia profuga is a species of cave-dwelling millipede in the family Julidae. The only known species of the genus Mammamia, it was described in 2011 from a specimen discovered in a cave in Italy.
Desmoxytes, whose species are commonly known as the dragon millipedes, is a genus of millipede of the family Paradoxosomatidae found in southeast Asia. The genus was described by Ralph Vary Chamberlin in 1923 and reviewed by Sergei Golovatch and Henrik Enghoff in 1994. At least twenty-nine species are known from southeastern China to Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. One species, D. planata, has also been observed in Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands, Seychelles, Java, Great Coco Island, and Fiji; however, this species has expanded its range by being transported through human activity. Several species have only recently been discovered and some have yet to be officially described.
Polydesmida is the largest order of millipedes, containing approximately 3,500 species, including all the millipedes reported to produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN).
Sphaerotheriida is an order of millipedes in the infraclass Pentazonia, sometimes known as giant pill millipedes. They inhabit Southern Africa, Madagascar, South and Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Like the Northern Hemisphere pill millipedes of the order Glomerida, these millipedes can roll into a ball when disturbed. When they are rolled-up, most sphaerotheriidans reach a maximum size of a cherry or golf ball, but some species from Madagascar can even reach the size of an orange. When rolled-up, predators are unable to unravel giant pill millipedes since the margins of their second and last dorsal plates fit perfectly into one another, creating a sealed ball. A few giant pill millipede species are able to produce sound, the only millipedes known to do this. This order of millipedes is also unique in that some African species are used for medicinal purposes.
Xystodesmidae is a family of millipedes. Its members often have very small distributional areas, with many species only known from a single locality. They are found across the northern hemisphere, with peak diversity in the Appalachian Mountains, where one-third of the 300 or so species occur. They are particularly abundant in deciduous broadleaf forests in the Mediterranean Basin, Africa, Asia, Central and North America, and Russia. Information on basic taxonomy is scant for this family; for example, it is estimated that the genus Nannaria contains over 200 species, but only 25 have so far been described.
Brachyiulus is a genus of millipedes, containing around eight species, most of which live in the Mediterranean Basin of Europe and Asia. The species B. pusillus has been introduced widely around the world
Julida is an order of millipedes. Members are mostly small and cylindrical, typically ranging from 10–120 millimetres (0.39–4.72 in) in length. Eyes may be present or absent, and in mature males of many species, the first pair of legs is modified into hook-like structures. Additionally, both pairs of legs on the 7th body segment of males are modified into gonopods.
Ommatoiulus is a genus of millipedes in the family Julidae.
Pachyiulus is a genus of julid millipedes containing the following species:
Callipodida is an order of millipedes containing around 130 species, many characterized by crests or ridges.
Chordeumatida is a large order of millipedes containing some 1200 species with a nearly worldwide distribution. They possess around 30 body segments and reach about 25 mm (0.98 in) in length.
Sinocallipus is a genus of predominantly cave-dwelling millipedes in the order Callipodida. Five of the six known species are found in limestone caves on the Indochinese Peninsula from Vietnam to southern China, and it is the only callipodidan genus entirely confined to the tropics. Individuals range from 40–70 mm (1.6–2.8 in) long and possess 55 to 70 segments. Sinocallipus is the sole taxon of the callipodidan suborder Sinocallipodidea, and thought to be the most primitive and sister group to all other callipodidans. In contrast to many other millipede groups, the gonopods of Sinocallipus show little variation between species, while other characters such as color, size, and other body parts differ more noticeably between species.
Siphoniulus is a poorly known genus of millipede containing only two living species: S. alba from Indonesia, and S. neotropicus from Mexico and Guatemala. An additional two fossil species are known from Cretaceous amber. Siphoniulus species are the only members of the family Siphoniulidae and order Siphoniulida, making Siphoniulida the smallest millipede order. Few specimens are known, and their classification is contentious, although most recent studies place them as basal members of the Helminthomorpha.
Casimir Albrecht Willem Jeekel (1922–2010) was a Dutch myriapodologist and entomologist known for his major contributions to the taxonomy of millipedes. His 1971 monograph Nomenclator Generum et Familiarum Diplopodorum is credited as launching the "modern era" of millipede taxonomy, and has been considered the "most important single work ever published on the Diplopoda". He served as director of the Zoological Museum Amsterdam, and authored over 150 works on the taxonomy of millipedes and other myriapods.
Bollmania is a genus of millipedes with around six species occurring from Central through East Asia, including Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and China. The genus was established by entomologist Filippo Silvestri in 1896, and is named in honor of Charles Harvey Bollman. Bollmania is the sole genus of the family Caspiopetalidae.
Lusitanipus is a genus of millipedes in the family Dorypetalidae. The genus is endemic to the Iberian peninsula; L. alternans is endemic to Portugal and L. xanin is only known from Spain. It was believed to be a monotypic genus until the 2020 discovery of L. xanin.
Dorypetalidae is a family of millipedes in the order Callipodida. The family contains at least 4 genera and about 10 species.
References
- 1 2 STOEV, PAVEL; ENGHOFF, HENRIK (2003-08-22). "Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of genus Balkanopetalum Verhoeff, 1926 (Diplopoda: Callipodida: Schizopetalidae)". Zootaxa. 272 (1): 1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.272.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
- ↑ Chitty, John R. (2006-03-31). "Myriapods (Centipedes and Millipedes)". Invertebrate Medicine: 195–203. doi:10.1002/9780470344606.ch13.